The present invention relates to a method of and apparatus for recording an image, and more particularly to a method of and apparatus for recording an image on an image recording carrier or medium by taking the image recording medium such as an elongate photographic photosensitive material from a magazine, and gripping and transferring the image recording medium with a drum and nip rollers for exposure of the image recording medium to the image, while allowing the image recording medium to hang by gravity to prevent unwanted external forces from being applied to the image recording medium, for thereby permitting the image recording medium to be appropriately scanned for image recording and also for utilizing the image recording medium without wasting the same.
In printing and platemaking industries, image scanning reading/recording systems are widely used for reading and electrically processing image information on original documents to produce film plates with a view to simplifying the operation process and increasing the image quality.
Such an image scanning reading/recording system is basically constructed of an image reading device, a control device, and an image recording device. In the image reading device, a reflective photographic original or a linear image original is scanned by a light beam to detect an image with a photomultiplier or the like, or the image is read by a CCD (charge-coupled device), and the image information of the original is converted to an electric signal that is dependent on the magnitude of reflected light. Then, the image information which has been photoelectrically converted by the image reading device is subject to various processes such as for gradation correction, profile emphasis, and the like dependent on platemaking conditions in the control device. Thereafter, the image information thus processed is converted by the image recording device to a light signal represented by a laser beam, which is applied to an image recording carrier or medium of a photosensitive material such a photographic film to record the desired image thereon. The image recorded on the image recording medium is then developed and the developed image recording medium is used as a film plate for printing operation.
The image recording device for applying the laser beam to the film for recording the desired image is arranged as follows:
A magazine housing a roll of an elongate film is loaded in the image recording device. The film is then gripped by a pair of rollers, which are rotated to feed the film to an image scanning recording unit. In the image scanning recording unit, the film is fed in an auxiliary scanning direction by a rotating drum and a nip roller held in rolling contact therewith, while at the same time the film is scanned in a main scanning direction by the laser beam that has been modulated on the basis of the gradation correction effected in the control device, for recording the desired image on the film. Then, the film is automatically cut off to a desired length by a cutter in the image recording device, and delivered to an image developing device by a feed system (not shown).
The film must accurately and smoothly be fed in the auxiliary scanning direction in the image scanning recording unit. If the film being scanned by the laser beam were not smoothly fed in the auxiliary scanning direction due to application of external forces or the like, the applied laser beam would be shifted out of the desired position on the film. With such a positional deviation, an inaccurate image would be recorded on the film, and the resultant film could not be used as a film plate.